A faction willing to take the risks of making war on the ossified status quo in the Middle East can be described as many things, but not as conservative.

The finest fury is the most controlled.

It's considered acceptable in our culture to approach perfect strangers, as often or not who may be in extremis, and evangelise. I don't see why that's considered a normal thing.

The discovery there is no god is a great relief, because if there were, it would be like living in a celestial North Korea if there was one. You would never be able to escape.

A good liar must have a good memory.

Skepticism rather than credulity is the highest principle that the human intellect can use to ennoble our existence.

The fragility of love is what is most at stake here—humanity's most crucial three-word avowal is often uttered only to find itself suddenly embarrassing or orphaned or isolated or ill-timed—but strangely enough it can work better as a literal or reassuring statement than a transcendent or numinous or ecstatic one.